The Light in the Ruins

The Light in the Ruins

by Chris Bohjalian

Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery

Synopsis: 1943: Tucked away in the idyllic hills south of Florence, the Rosatis, an Italian family of noble lineage, believe that the walls of their ancient villa will keep them safe from the war raging across Europe.  Eighteen-year-old Cristina spends her days swimming in the pool, playing with her young niece and nephew, and wandering aimlessly amid the estate's gardens.  But when two soldiers, a German and an Italian, arrive at the villa, the Rosati's bucolic tranquility is shattered.  A young German lieutenant begins to court Cristina, the Nazis descend upon the estate demanding hospitality, and what was once their sanctuary becomes their prison.

1955: Serafina Bettini, an investigator with the Florence Police Department, has her own demons.  Serafina carefully hides her scars along with her haunting memories of the war.  But when she is assigned to a gruesome new case-a serial killer who who is targeting the Rosatis and murdering the remnants of the family one by one in cold blood-Serafina finds herself digging into a past that involves both the victims and her own tragic history.

from the back of the book

Review:  I listened to this as an audiobook and got through one and a half cds.  This book was completely different than I thought it would be.  I really like historical fiction books but this one was much more mystery than I like.  It was gruesome at parts and I just couldn't listen to it.  The historical aspect to the story didn't keep me interested enough to keep listening to the murder mystery parts.

Rating: abandonded